Obtaining The World: At All Cost!
by Osyra
Summary: Follows our Protagonist's efforts in his attempt to obtain the ultimate persona through fusion: Izanagi-no-Okami! Short story that offers a closer look at the trials and tribulations Yu Narukami must endure to obtain every persona necessary for the Dodecagonal World Fusion; from save file corruption to fusion accidents, he'll do whatever it takes for the Ultimate Accomplishment!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: The Power within is a result of your relationships**

There was a slight chill in the air as a tall young man neared the shopping district. The streets were mostly empty as he had expected, but as he looked around his gaze soon fixated on a short figure standing near the bookstore. Ah. Perfect. Just the person he needed to see.

Naoto Shirogane, a close friend, was situated in her usual spot at this time of night, gazing at the assorted books lined up in the shop's windows. Clad in a sharp blue winter coat and her signature hat, she seemed to have been taking a walk before heading home. Or, now that he noticed the bags in her hand, she must have just ordered takeout from Aiya. Come to think of it, winter would be here soon, so maybe he should start wearing warmer clothes as well…

Naoto glanced behind her at the sound of advancing footsteps and noticed a familiar head of silver hair. Ah, of course. Senpai was usually seen walking around at this time after dark. He was probably on his way to the shrine, since he'd been frequenting that place with a near obsessiveness for some unknown reason. She tipped her hat to him in greeting as he approached, and struck up conversation.

"Good evening, Yu-senpai. I had a feeling you would come around here. I was on an errand and decided to check for any new arrivals at the bookstore." She looked back at the shop's closed doors. "It seems I've arrived too late, however."

The young detective didn't seem to be doing much at the moment. This was an ideal opportunity to spend some time with her. Yu brought a hand up to his chin momentarily, and Naoto looked up at him as his gaze became contemplative. "What do you say, Senpai. Did you want to set aside some time for idle conversation?"

"After this could be Rank… eight," Yu quietly mumbled as he counted on his fingertips.

"Ahh… what was that, Senpai?" Naoto gave him a curious look.

"Nothing. Yes, let's talk for a bit."

* * *

After discussing various topics ranging from school studies to Teddie's possible genetic structure, they both decided to head home as it was getting late. Just as Naoto bid him good night, Yu remembered something and turned back around as they parted. "One more thing…" he fished around in his pocket before handing her some folded papers. "The notes that Kanji borrowed from you. He was afraid to approach you to return them, so he sent them through me."

"Oh," she said as she received the papers, "Thank you for returning them. But… why would he be too afraid to do this himself?"

A beat passed before Narukami replied. "What?"

"Kanji-kun. You said that he was wary of me. I see no reason for him to be." The puzzled girl frowned.

"Ah. I meant to say that he forgot to return them," Yu replied with an unreadable expression. They both stared at each other in silence before Naoto decided to just let it go.

"Alright then. In any case, I shall see you at school tomorrow. Are you headed straight home?"

Yu nodded. "Right after I drop by Rise-san's house to give her a copy of the notes you lent to Kanji." Naoto shook her head as her senpai turned away. _Of course they would both be using my notes_, she thought. _But wait. Tonight—_

"Ah, S-Senpai wait," she told him. "I recall Kujikawa-san saying that she would be out for the rest of the evening. You won't find her at her home tonight."

The silver-haired boy tilted his head to the side. "I see. So she's staying over at your estate again for the night? I can give the notes to you then instead."

The short girl's face immediately became ashen. "I… What? H-how did you…" She quickly composed herself and tugged her cap down farther over her face. "Ahh, yes. That is… thank you. I will be sure that she gets them." Yu gazed at Naoto blankly as she collected the papers, attempting to hide the deep blush coloring her cheeks. "Here. A token of my thanks for your efforts to return my belongings." She quickly handed him a bar of chocolate. After seeing this other side of Naoto, Yu felt that their friendship could become closer soon…

"_Yesss_…" he suddenly exclaimed as he stared at Naoto with the sternest expression possible.

"H-Huh? Yes what? What is it?" Naoto was becoming more uncomfortable by the second.

"Nothing. Our relationship is now closer, so I will be seeing you tomorrow." And with that he turned and walked away, leaving behind him an increasingly disturbed Detective Prince.

* * *

At the beginning of lunch period the next day, Yu made his way to the school's first floor, as he'd made plans to have lunch with Yosuke and had stored his homemade bento in his shoe locker. After retrieving his lunch, he noticed a package situated to the side, and retrieved that as well. Upon further inspection, he realized that it was unlike any of the other gifts he'd received in his locker before. It was a plain, white-wrapped box, small in size with no message or any type of writing on its exterior. Naoto approached Yu just as he began to shake the box in his hand.

"Senpai," she began, "I've come across another lead regarding the mysterious letter case that—" she paused once she saw what he was doing. "Oh. What do you have there? A gift from another admirer?" She peered closely at it. "Hmm, it doesn't seem to be addressed by anyone. Quite strange."

"I think it could be a bomb," he replied, shaking the thing even harder to get a feel for its contents.

"A what?! Yu-senpai, you shouldn't joke about such things." Naoto grabbed ahold of his arm to stop him from disturbing the box's contents any further. Her eyes narrowed as she quickly glanced down both sides of the hallway. "I suppose I can have it submitted to the lab for examination, if you feel it is truly that serious." She turned back to Yu. "However, I highly doubt that—" She looked down at his hands to realize that he'd already completely unwrapped and opened the box. One of Naoto's eyes twitched slightly in irritation. She sighed as she released his arm.

"So it's just a Home Ec project…" the taller boy said as he read the note attached to the box's interior. The type of food that this person was intending to cook was indiscernible, however. It seemed to resemble a solid ball of overcooked meat.

"I see. The contents were harmless then. In any case, I would like to follow up on this investigation. I have received another letter from our unnamed 'informant'. Would you mind meeting with me after school?"

Yu nodded his head in response. "Sure."

"You have my gratitude." The Detective Prince glanced back at the box in Yu's hand as she departed. "Umm… are you sure that you don't want that submitted to some type of lab? That… _object _doesn't seem to be edible at all."

"But I haven't figured out what it is yet."

Naoto _tsked _slightly. "That is precisely why…" She adjusted her hat. "Never mind. I will see you later today, Senpai." Yu watched her go before he headed up to the roof, where Yosuke was undoubtedly waiting.

* * *

"Uhh, ok. Dude. Just what the hell _is_ that?" Whatever it was that Narukami had brought with him to lunch was troubling Yosuke to no end.

The silver-haired boy continued to eat his lunch. "What do you mean?"

"You know what the hell I mean! This… thing! What is this?" Yosuke pointed to the unidentifiable object that Yu had decided to place directly between them. Before anything else, Narukami had removed the object from the box it was in, placed it right next to Yosuke, and then sat down to eat without saying a single word. There was no way Yosuke could concentrate on eating with something like that taking up space next to him. "Why'd you even put it there? I can't keep eating until I have an explanation!"

"How's the bento?"

"O-Oh," Yosuke looked at the food in his lap. "Well, it's really good actually, as expected. I mean bro, you sure know how to— WAIT!" Yosuke set the bento aside. "You're not answering any of my questions! Dude, what. Is. That."

"It was a gift," Yu replied calmly.

"A gift from who?"

"I don't know."

Yosuke paused a moment and rubbed his temple. "Okay well, what are you even carrying it around like that for?"

"I'm going to eat it."

"You're WHAT?" Yosuke bolted upwards and took a cautious stance. "But it's not even food, is it?" He peered at it from a safe distance. "I mean it looks like… _animal waste_, man. Doesn't smell too good, either." Yosuke crossed his arms. "Plus, you set it directly onto a surface that people sit on without thinking to at least put it in a _napkin_ or something…"

"I didn't say I was going to eat _all _of it." Yu figured that since someone put in an effort to make this for him, he might as well _taste _it.

A bead of sweat rolled from Yosuke's face. "And that's supposed to reassure me…? Look, I just wouldn't. I mean geeze, it looks like something the girls would cook up." He shuddered at the mere mention of the accursed Mystery Food X.

Yu suddenly stood up and poked the object with his chopsticks.

"W-What the—?!" Yosuke promptly stepped backwards and pulled Narukami in front of him. "T-That thing just MOVED! _Tell _me I'm not going insane! I swear it just repositioned itself, man!"

Yu blinked. "It did…"

"How are you so calm about this?!" The brunette was at his wits end. "Bro… I can't even do this right now, dude. I gotta…" Yosuke quickly sidestepped the Thing, which had somehow made it to the ground already, and gathered his belongings. "I'm outta here. Just… you need to throw that thing the _hell_ away, man!" And with that, Hanamura stormed down the steps, probably to empty his bladder before heading back to class.

Yu stared after his friend for a bit before stooping down to pick the object up and place it back in its box. He stuffed the box inside his uniform jacket and gathered his things. Lunch would soon be over, so he decided to return to class. Yu felt that these events had somehow brought him closer to Yosuke…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Fortune! Rank eight: Social Link _Go!_**

Immediately after school, Yu headed to Tatsuhime Shrine to meet up with Naoto. He usually visited the shrine once a day after school, so this wasn't altering his schedule much, anyway. "Hmmm," he mused. He might as well catch a few more bugs while they were there as well…

"Ah, Senpai, you've arrived." The young prodigy in question stood near the shrine's entrance. She looked over past the gates. "I've been trailing a suspicious figure who may very well be our thief. He's just entered the shrine, as I anticipated. We may be able to catch him in the act."

Yu nodded firmly. "I'll ready the net."

"Affirmative. Then I shall… wait, excuse me? What net?" Naoto furrowed her brows in confusion. She watched as Narukami brandished a long butterfly net. From where, she could hardly imagine. "Ahh… I'm sure that we won't be needing that for this particular task, Yu-senpai…"

Narukami's grip only tightened around the net's handle as he looked on with a rather serious expression. The air was now tenser for some reason.

"P-Perhaps we should go in now." Naoto honestly had no idea what it was that possessed her senpai to do such peculiar things.

"Yes," was all she got for a reply. Once they entered, Yu headed straight for a group of trees to the west of the gate and quickly crouched down in the shade.

"…Senpai, what on earth are you doing? Should we not be searching for—?"

"The amount of shade in this spot causes the ground to retain moisture…"

"W-What?"

He slowly raised the net into the air and waited. "Chisato-san, bring me luck."

"Who? Senpai, we really do not have time for this. If we don't make haste we could lose the trail."

Narukami said nothing, his form unmoving as he waited for the chance to strike. Just one! One was all he needed…

Naoto was at a total loss. They would be easily noticed if he did not stop this foolishness. She really hoped that no one was watching—

"There!" Yu swiftly brought the net onto the ground. Naoto peered over his shoulder as he scooped up several captured bugs. He picked a particular one out from the others and held it up to the air. "Naoto…" he suddenly exclaimed with his back turned to her.

"Y-Yes?"

"Do you see this?" He flipped around and placed the bug in her face.

"An insect," she noted. "What of it?" She really had no idea where this was going.

"This…" he flipped it over in his hand, "is a Genji Beetle. Look at it." Naoto did as he asked and watched as the bug desperately squirmed around on its back. "The timing was perfect. I've finally caught one." His face reddened with what she assumed must have been pride. She was losing her patience however, and wanted to get on with her assignment.

"Congratulations, Senpai. Now may we please return to the task at hand? I am surprised we haven't been discovered."

"Yes. Let us catch this assassin thief," Yu replied with a straight face as he swung the net over his shoulder. Naoto huffed slightly as she pulled her hat farther down over her face.

* * *

After a rather lively encounter with the mystery man from the shrine, Yu walked toward the floodplains along with an agitated Detective Prince.

"Your compulsive actions were highly unnecessary, Yu-senpai. What if the knife he had been holding had turned out to be real instead of some cheap toy?"

"But I caught him."

Naoto was having a hard time keeping herself composed. "You _attacked _the man and placed a butterfly net over his head."

"He was going to stab you."

"That knife was a _toy, _Senpai! How many times must I say it?"

"You should be more careful next time."

"…"

Yu gazed forlornly over at his empty net. Most of his bugs had been lost in the process. However…

He brought out a box from within his jacket and opened it to check on its contents. Naoto glanced over and recognized the container. "Is that…?"

"At least the Genji Beetle is safe," Yu exclaimed as he probed the container's interior with his fingertips.

"You've placed it in that box with the Unidentified Object from earlier today?"

The silver-haired boy nodded as he put the box away. "Genji should stay warm and cozy in there until I need it."

Naoto sighed and decided not to question what use Narukami would have with the probably-terrified bug. "Regardless," she stated as she removed her cap to run a hand through her short-blue hair. "That man's appearance raised some warning bells…" She placed her hat back in its original position. "There is something that I must look into, Senpai."

Yu could feel that something had changed due to the day's events. He felt that he understood Naoto much better than he did before…

"This case has certainly taken an unexpected turn today," Naoto declared with another sigh.

Yu clutched one of his fists tightly and closed his eyes. "_Rank_…"

"Once I have obtained another lead, I will notify you so that—"

"…_Up_."

After an extended silence, the young detective decided that there wasn't much more of this that she could take. "I-I'm sorry?"

Yu stared unblinkingly into the shorter girl's eyes for several seconds before asking, "How was your sleepover with Rise?"

"Wha… sleepover? I…" Naoto's face flushed a bright red, as the question had caught her completely off guard. "I-I wouldn't exactly call it… ahh, well it was more of a…" She fumbled with her collar as Yu nodded.

"So it was good then," he said emotionlessly.

"Ah, y-yes it was very g—" she averted her gaze. "Senpai, I have to go now. Something's just come to my attention so…" Naoto tried her best not to look too flustered. "I will take my leave. Good day." She tipped her hat to him and hurriedly retreated in the opposite direction. Narukami watched her go until she rounded a corner. He then quickly pulled a small notebook and pencil from a back pocket and flipped through it until he came across the particular page concerning the Fortune Arcana. He erased the bold number seven situated at the top and swiftly replaced it with an eight. After nodding his head in satisfaction, Yu pocketed the items and headed home, ignoring the small box that had started to beat against his chest.

* * *

The sound of a door opening before quickly sliding shut could be heard from her spot in the family room.

"Oh!" Nanako turned her head towards the entrance. "Welcome home, big bro!"

Narukami nodded his head in greeting as he stiffly strode over to the kitchen. Nanako noticed him jump slightly before he removed something from his jacket and stuffed it into the fridge. She tilted her head to the side in curiosity.

"Did you bring something from Junes?" Her countenance brightened tremendously.

Yu, either choosing to ignore the question or simply not hearing it asked, "How was school today?"

Nanako broke into a wide smile as she began to tell him of her day. Narukami listened intently as she told him what she'd learned that day and how much fun she had. Then her words were interrupted with a loud thud that could be heard from the kitchen. They both glanced back at the fridge, where the sound had obviously come from.

"What was that?" Nanako asked, looking over at her big bro, who silently stared at the fridge for a few seconds before answering, "Probably nothing. Or maybe something just fell." He looked back to Nanako, who had a concerned expression on her face as she stood.

"Maybe it made a mess." She began walking towards the kitchen. "I should probably clean it."

Yu opened his mouth to protest, but his words were drowned out by a catchy tune that loudly drifted over from the television.

**_At Junes, every day is customer appreciation day!_**

Nanako stopped in her tracks, turning from the kitchen to immediately sit in front of the TV as she listened to the commercial attentively. She grinned happily as she began to sing along:

"Every day's great~

at your Junes!"

She cheerfully swayed from side to side as she sang to herself, apparently forgetting about the thud and everything else around her.

Narukami blinked as he watched his younger cousin, both amazed and grateful for Junes' hypnotic powers. He didn't feel he'd become much closer to Nanako just yet, but he did enjoy spending this evening with her…

* * *

Hours later, Detective Ryotaro Dojima silently entered the house, trying his best not to disturb the other occupants' sleep. He quietly turned on the kitchen light and laid his jacket over one of the dining chairs, then nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a loud thumping noise. He quickly turned around and faced the fridge.

"The hell…?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Some things don't make sense**

Yu Narukami's eyes peered open as he slowly drifted out of sleep and back into consciousness. Warm sunlight flowed from his bedroom window, and he could hear sounds coming from the kitchen. He sat up and stretched, taking in the view from outside. He remembered closing the shades last night, so someone must have opened them while he was still asleep…

"Yuuu~ honey," he heard a voice lilt from downstairs, "You should get ready, otherwise you won't have time to eat before school!"

Yu paused all movement and turned towards the door. That voice he'd just heard sounded very feminine. It was also strangely familiar, though it couldn't be Nanako; it sounded much too… motherly. He decided to get dressed and see what was going on.

On his way downstairs he bumped into Teddie, who happened to be wearing a Yaso uniform… and was for some reason in his house. "Ted…?" Narukami was only slightly confused.

The blonde slapped him on the shoulder as he grinned widely. "Mornin' Big Bro!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining brightly. Yu stared at the shorter kid in bewilderment.

"Where did you get that uniform?"

Teddie gave him a puzzled look. "We've both had our uniforms since school started, Big Bro." He then lifted a hand to Yu's forehead. "You feeling ok? You're probably still just sleepy." He then offered another huge smile. "Don't worry, Mom's making something downstairs, and it smells _bear_-y nice! It should make you feel better!" He grabbed Yu by the arm to lead him to the kitchen.

"'Mom'?"

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Yu immediately noticed a tall figure hovering over the sink. Clad in a white dress and pink apron, with a pearl necklace and matching earrings, they turned so that Yu could see their fashionably curled hair and red lipstick. "Good morning boys. Hope you've got all your things ready for school."

"Kanji?"

"Mommyyy!" Teddie exclaimed as he launched himself into Kanji's waiting arms. "The food smells amayy-zing, Mom!" He then kissed his "mother" on the cheek.

Yu stood paralyzed, unable to react to this situation at all.

"Thank you, sweety. Now eat up before it cools."

Teddie enthusiastically hopped into his seat at the table, and began scarfing his food as he greeted someone in the chair next to his. "Mornin' Daddy!"

"Quit talkin' with your mouth full, boy."

Narukami squinted over at the table. "Yosuke?"

Hanamura peered at Yu over his newspaper. "Didn't you hear your mother? Come siddown partner, before your food gets cold."

"What's going-"

"Doesn't matter now," Kanji interrupted. "You'll both be late if you don't leave right now. Here," He placed homemade packed lunches into both of their bags, then placed Yu's breakfast in a napkin before handing it to him. "You'll just have to eat it on the way."

"Well, I'm off," Yosuke announced as he grabbed his keys. "Have a good day, everyone." He gave Kanji a kiss on the cheek on his way out.

Narukami began to sweat.

"Be back safe!" Teddie shouted as Hanamura walked out the door. Kanji looked back at them.

"Okay kids, you should be heading out too."

"Alrighty!" Teddie said, hugging his mommy once more before heading to the door.

"You too, mister," Kanji addressed to Yu. "Give mommy a kiss before you leave."

"Ahh…" Yu clutched his bag tightly.

"Hmm?" He watched as Yu backed up slowly. "What's wrong dear? You've been acting strange all morning."

"I need to wake up."

"Now now, honey," Kanji admonished. "There's no time for these shenanigans; you'll be late. Now give your mommy a kiss." Suddenly Yu was unable to move, and he watched in horror as Kanji's puckered lips were mere inches away from his face.

"Mmmmwwaaa~!"

Narukami bolted upright on his futon. He looked around bewilderedly, clutching his chest; then looked over to his window and could see light peeking through the closed shades. He let out a sigh of relief, and nearly jumped into the ceiling when he heard his phone ringing. He grabbed it and opened it shakily.

"Hello?" he answered hoarsely, heart attack having started all over again.

"Narukami?" he heard Chie greet over the phone. "Hey! You probably just woke up, so I'll make this quick. Today's our day off, so I figured we should all head into the TV world."

Yu said nothing, still breathing heavily.

"Just for training though!" she verified. "The killer's still at large, y'know. So we should all be on our guard. We can't give that creep any leeway, right? So whadda you say?"

Gaining control of his breathing, Yu managed a reply. "Yeah. Let's all meet up in an hour."

"Awesome!" Chie exclaimed over the phone. "I'll round up the others. See ya soon!"

Yu hung up and sat in the room in silence. After a while he looked over at his closet, deciding it was best to get dressed and head to the team's meeting place. Once he'd donned his desired clothing, he retrieved his weapon and some money from the back of the closet, and re-locked it before exiting his room.

Though he never wished to have a nightmare like the one he just experienced _ever_ again, he certainly could feel that he'd become closer to each of the guys…

* * *

In the electronics section at Junes, the Investigation Team had gathered around their staple television set, preparing to enter. The amount of shoppers in the area was more than usual however, so it was decided that the best course of action would be to spread out a bit until the traffic slowed.

Narukami remained in the electronics section with Chie and Yukiko, keeping a close eye on the TV sets. Teddie had wandered away eagerly, prompting Yosuke to run after and chaperone him. And Naoto was abruptly hauled off by Rise into another section of the store, with Kanji nervously following behind.

As Yu stood behind another isle with the girls, staking out the televisions, Chie began to reflect on their decision to stay in the store; "You guys ever think of how… suspicious it could look with all of us coming here all the time?"

Yu glanced at her before returning his gaze to their TV. "Not at all."

"Well…" Yukiko reasoned, "We're not always here _that _often, Chie. I'm sure it's not too noticeable."

"Are you kidding? We're here like, twice a week on average. In the same section."

"Oh… Well when you put it that way…" Yukiko looked over at Yu to second Chie's observation, but suddenly noticed something odd. "Narukami-kun, are those… binoculars?"

The silver-haired boy didn't move an inch from watching the TV sets. "No."

Both girls watched him in confusion until he looked back at them. "Field glasses," he explained.

"Uh… isn't that… the same thing?" Chie scratched her head.

Yu shook his head in answer, pulling another pair from his jacket and holding them up. "These are binoculars."

Chie squinted at both instruments. "Why do you even have those?"

Yukiko reached past Chie to remove the field glasses from Yu's hand and looked into them herself. After a few seconds she exclaimed, "Oh Chie, he's right! Much more advanced. And clearer." She pushed them into her friend's hands. "Here, look."

"You have _got _to be kidding me…" Chie accepted the instrument and put it over her eyes, then waited a few seconds.

"…Well?" Yukiko queried.

"I feel stupid."

"Snrk…"

"Don't you even dare!" Chie thrust the glasses back into Yukiko's hands as her friend tried her best to keep her giggles discreet.

Yu blinked at the girls' antics and returned to observing the television sets. Yukiko joined in the stakeout with the pair that he'd given to her, and they all stood in silence and observed.

After about thirty minutes, not much progress had been made, and Chie was becoming more and more aware of the stares they were receiving from onlookers. "This crowd isn't thinning out at all, you guys. Maybe we should head somewhere else. Or at least go to a different section."

Her friends continued to observe the TV section with their ocular instruments however; extremely determined in their task. "We can't just abandon our post, Chie." Yukiko looked over at her. "Let's stick it out a little longer."

"She's right," seconded Narukami. "We have to stay on guard."

Chie looked between her two friends. "You guys act like you're expecting an attack or something…"

"Possibly," Yu said mysteriously.

"Ugh," Chie huffed exasperatedly. "People are watching us guys." She noticed a sales attendant walking their way. "Uh-oh."

The man approached them cautiously. "Is there ah… anything I can help you kids with?" He glanced suspiciously at each of them. Chie quickly reached over and lowered their binoculars. "No thanks! We're just browsing. Right you guys?"

"That so? You've all been in here for quite a while… Are you sure?"

"Yes," Yu replied seriously. "We have a duty to fulfill."

"Uh… duty?"

"D-don't mind him!" Chie averted nervously. "He's just fooling around. We'll be out of here soon, promise."

"Oh ah… alright then. No rush." The attendant moved away rather quickly, seemingly startled by something. As if on cue Kanji walked up to them, wielding an enormous shield. Chie's eyes widened in utter unbelief. "Kanji… what the hell."

"What." the tall boy replied.

"What do you mean, 'what'? Don't tell me you were walking around with that thing." She pointed to the weapon and he followed her finger with his eyes.

"Oh. Well yeah," Kanji replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Naoto and Rise went into some girl clothing section. It was kinda awkward so… I dunno. Went to the bathroom and polished my shield."

"You've been carrying that around the _store _with you?"

"Yeah I guess. So?" Kanji glanced around and noticed a group of girls staring their way, muttering loudly amongst themselves. "The hell_ you_ lookin' at?!" Kanji shouted, raising his shield. The girls quickly scattered away. "Tch," he scoffed.

"We'll be thrown out at this rate…" said Chie.

"Target's clear," Narukami suddenly stated.

"I'll call it in," Yukiko replied.

Kanji looked over at the other two. "Huh? Call what in?" Yukiko pulled out her cellphone and dialed a number, then said when it picked up, "The gate is clear. Repeat, return to the gate." She hung up and returned her field glasses to Yu.

"Uh… What're you guys even doing?" Kanji asked, looking between each of them. He made eye contact with Yu, who looked away and shuddered slightly for some reason. "What's goin' on?"

"We were keeping an eye on the TVs," Chie answered tiredly. "Guess it's safe to go in now." She looked over at Yukiko, who nodded matter-of-factly. The group soon gathered in front of the TV set, and everyone was nearly accounted for except for Teddie, who was conspicuously absent. There was something that Kanji took note of as they were all waiting.

"Huh. You guys ever wonder if we should just buy this thing?" He set his shield down and peered at the blank screen.

"What," Yosuke responded, "You mean the TV?"

"Yeah, the TV," Kanji iterated. "What'd you think I meant?"

"I dunno, geeze. Why would we need to buy it?"

"Well, we're runnin' up here all the damn time to go through the thing, so why not?"

Yosuke chuckled. "Yeah, I doubt any of us can even afford it dude…"

"You kiddin' me?" Kanji looked at him indignantly. "With the amount of money we pick up from all the Shadow fighting, we could buy a _bigger _one. Pool somethin' together."

"He… has a point," Naoto said, observing the price tag. "Together, we should be more than able to afford this."

"Where would we even put it though?" Yosuke argued. "Not like we can just dump it in someone's living room. No way our parents wouldn't be suspicious."

"Oh!" Rise exclaimed. "I vote Naoto's place! I'm sure her grandfather wouldn't mind. Plus, it would look _perfect _in her room."

"Wh-what?" said Naoto.

"Aw, but what about our Special Headquarters?" Chie protested.

"Yeah," seconded Yukiko. "I love meeting up here when we talk about the case."

Yosuke shrugged. "Yeah and honestly, you guys buy something pretty much every time we come here so… it's good for business." He tried to ignore the glare he received from Chie after saying that. "So uh… what do you think, Kanji?"

Kanji's face had already turned red as he gazed off at nothing in particular. "You mean we'd meet up… at N-Naoto's house?"

_"Ugh,"_ Rise sighed. Naoto tried to get her attention. "Kujikawa-san—"

The idol gave her a look.

"Ah… Rise. The others are right. Maybe it's best that the television stays here."

"But what if someone else decides to buy it?" the girl argued. "What then?"

Yu crossed his arms. "She has a point. I'm sure Kanji's been wanting to see Naoto's room for a while now, anyway."

"HUH?!" Kanji shouted, horrified.

"My room is _not _an option, if I must make that clear," the young detective emphasized.

"Do we even have time for this right now?" said Yosuke, throwing his arms up. He looked around, as if remembering something. "And we need to find Teddie before he—"

"Grizzlyyyy _Kick!_"

Something struck the group violently from behind, which immediately initiated a domino effect, sending them all head-first into the TV. And in a split second the kids had disappeared, with no one the wiser.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: The trials of fusion**

The deep, sinking sensation of falling was soon ended by an abrupt connection with the ground. They each gained their bearings and as expected, realized that they were in the studio entrance of the TV world. Everyone rose rather stiffly, and after a while looked over at the two who were still flat on the floor.

"Damn… _bear!_" Yosuke said as he pushed Teddie off of him. "What the hell was that for?!" He leaned over, cradling his noggin. "Ow… my head."

Teddie stood and wiggled his ears, seemingly proud of himself. "That was my Emergency Motivator! It looked like you all needed a push in the right _bear_ection."

"We were waiting for _you, _you idiot! Why else would we just be standing there?"

The round bear nodded wholeheartedly. "Yep! It's because you needed me, right? Don't worry about it guys, I'm happy to help." He poked Hanamura in the stomach. "See, Yosuke even broke my fall!"

"You…!"

As Teddie ran off in circles with Yosuke chasing behind, Yu addressed the others. "Any votes on where we should train today?"

"Hmm…" Yukiko pondered. "Naoto-kun's dungeon should offer the most challenge."

"Must we choose that one?" The Detective Prince objected warily.

"The strongest shadows we have for fighting are in there," Rise confirmed.

"We haven't finished clearing out the last one though," Chie interjected. "Maybe we should make sure they're all as clear as possible."

Kanji scratched his chin. "Oh, you mean that Mitsuo kid, right? Yeah, we haven't gone to that place ever since we caught 'em."

"I believe that to be a reasonable choice," Naoto seconded.

"Don't Teddie and Yosuke-kun get to vote?" asked Yukiko. They all looked over at the two in question, and watched as Teddie rolled around on the ground in a manner similar to a barrel; Yosuke being too uncoordinated to keep up.

"They don't count," Chie dismissed. "Since they're so busy trying to kill each other."

"Guess that's three against two then," observed Rise. "What about you, Senpai?" They all looked back to where Narukami had been standing, and realized that he had moved to a corner a few paces away from them. He was in the process of reaching out to what appeared to be a glowing insect, and crushed it tightly in his right hand. He let it go after a few seconds, and it fluttered about weakly as it struggled to stay in the air.

"Senpai, what are you doing?" Naoto asked the question that was on all of their minds.

"Saving." Yu replied simply, not bothering to turn around.

"You… what?"

"We're going to Mitsuo's Game then?" he queried as he faced the group.

"It would seem so…"

He nodded his head. "Be right there," he stated before walking off in some other direction.

"Ohhkay…" said Chie as an awkwardness filled the atmosphere. "Guess we should break up Dumb and Dumber before they hurt themselves…" They looked on as Teddie continued to roll out of Hanamura's grasp.

_"Bearrel Roll! Bearrel Roll!"_

Naoto sighed at their ridiculous antics. "I suppose you're right."

* * *

As Yu entered the Velvet Room, he could sense that something was out of place. He looked about and noticed that Marie was nowhere in sight. He decided to approach Igor, but halted when he felt something being crumpled underfoot. He looked down and saw a single slip of paper, and decided to read it as he picked it up. He took note of the words, which were written down in elegant handwriting:

_**They say these are hard**_

_**But I still want to try it**_

_**Got nothing to lose.**_

_**'**_

_**First the sun rises,**_

_**Soon afterwards it must set**_

_**So it's set in stone.**_

_**'**_

_**I rose from somewhere,**_

_**So must I set later on?**_

_**Am I set in stone?**_

_**'**_

_**I don't believe it.**_

_**There has to be more, I know**_

_**So soon, I'll find out.**_

_**'**_

_**Plus, how would stones know?**_

_**Could be I was always here**_

_**Only time will tell.**_

_**'**_

_**And yeah, this IS hard**_

_**Can't think of any more, so**_

_**Refrigerator.**_

Yu blinked as he re-read the last line. Then suddenly he was struck across the face, and the paper had been yanked from his hands before he fully realized what had happened.

_"Ugh!" _yelled an infuriated Marie, appearing out of nowhere. "What do you think you're doing?!" She noted how crumpled the page was. "You _read my stuff. _How many times do I have to tell you not to, huh?"

Yu looked at her. "Haiku?"

Marie averted her gaze with a blush. "Y-Yeah, so? What is there something wrong with it?"

Narukami only stared. "You know what a refrigerator is?"

"H-Huh?" Marie stammered. "Well I… yeah, sort of… and what does it matter?! Just… justshutupyoudumbjerkwhatever. Stop reading my things." She stomped over to her seat and sat down with a puff. Margaret smiled wryly from her seat at Igor's left, obviously amused.

"Ahh, our regular visitor, here again," the Nose addressed Yu as he came closer. "You have been strengthening your bonds, I see…"

Yu nodded slightly and reached into a back pocket before handing the host a folded sheet of paper. Igor examined it shortly before bowing his head in understanding. "You have prepared the number of Personas desired for fusion. There is a challenging goal that you strive for, my dear visitor." He extended his hands, and cards appeared before him on the embroidered table. "I shall assist you to my greatest ability."

He swiftly moved his hand over each of them, and they were quickly illuminated with a white light. In a split second, the cards were replaced by a towering figure in intricate red armor. He held a sophisticated sword in one hand, and looked down at Yu to address him.

_**You summon me?**_

_**I am Siegfried, the Stalwart~**_

_**Harbinger of thy victory!**_

The image reverted into that of a single card, and delicately descended right into Narukami's waiting hands. He received it gladly as Igor continued to fuse another set. This time, the cards combined to present a lance-wielding knight in magnificent white armor. He gazed down at Yu with piercing eyes.

_**Before you stands Cu Chulainn…**_

_**I am the undefeatable one who swears his loyalty to you.**_

Once the card made its way down to him, Narukami stared at it with an unreadable expression, which Igor took notice of. "Is there something wrong, my guest?"

The silver-haired boy looked up at him. "This is the wrong one."

His long-nosed host seemed puzzled. "Is that not the Persona you required?"

"No," Yu responded, shaking his head. "His palette-swap."

"…I am sorry," replied Igor in a confused tone. "I do not understand what this 'palette-swap' is that you speak of."

Yu stood still in silence for several seconds before turning abruptly and leaving the room, to each occupant's bewilderment. Once back in the studio, he passed over an extremely irritated Kanji, who was in the process of pulling Yosuke off of a squealing Teddie.

"Freakin'… _dumbasses_," Kanji huffed as he pushed them apart. "Cut it _out_, will ya?!"

"Geeze guys," Chie shouted over at them. "Just quit it already. We don't have time for this…" She and the others noticed Yu's return as the boys continued to struggle on the ground.

"Oh, Narukami you're back." addressed Chie. "We can all get moving as soon as Yosuke quits screwing around."

"Hey!" Hanamura shouted from under Kanji's hold. "Don't just go saying that casually like it's my fault!"

Yu paid little heed to their horseplay and walked back up the blue butterfly, which was still hovering in its usual spot. He closed his eyes and held the bug tightly in his left hand. He could feel something shift, and slowly opened his eyes when he heard someone call out to him.

"Senpai, what are you doing?" Naoto asked the question that was on all of their minds.

Yu took a minute to look around himself. "…Saving," he slowly answered, not bothering to turn around.

"You… what?"

"We're going to Mitsuo's Game then?" he queried as he let go of the bug.

"It would seem so…"

He nodded his head. "Be right there," he stated before walking off in some other direction.

"Ohhkay…" said Chie as an awkwardness filled the atmosphere. "What's with him?"

Once Yu had been slapped for reading Marie's poems again, he immediately re-attempted the two fusions, this time with success. On his second fusion, the result was slightly different then it had been the first time; with the knight's armor appearing as a striking green instead of white.

_**I am Tam Lin…**_

_**I will protect you with all my might!**_

Once the entity's card appeared, Narukami accepted it, feeling rather relieved. As it dissolved in his hand, Igor proceeded to fuse the last Persona. Yu watched as five cards were combined. They encircled each other with a grand radiance, and cumulated in a combination that erupted in a blinding white light. Once it was dimmed enough for Yu to see, he looked to the finished product in anticipation.

_**I… am Slime, the Great and Mighty~**_

_**I will be troubling you for a while…**_

"…"

* * *

After a few more tries coupled with some paranoid saving, Narukami was finally able to brave Mitsuo's old dungeon with the rest of the group. Soon they were nearing the last floor, and Teddie approached with an earnest request.

"Sensei, Sensei!" he said swaying from side to side. "Can I fight next, please? I've been wanting to demonstrate my ferocious Grizzly Skills! I promise you'll be impressed."

"After what you've pulled?" said Kanji, crossing his arms. "Don't even think about it, Stuffy."

Rise giggled as she scratched the bear behind his ear. "'Ferocious'? You're not even close to intimidating, Teddie."

"I agree," said Yukiko. "I'd say he's just… fluffy." She rubbed his forehead.

Teddie seemed insulted. "How rude!" he said as he stamped his foot. "I can be _beary _ferocious if I wanted! Give me a chance, Sensei."

Yu acknowledged his pleads and nodded his head rather indifferently. "Sure. We're almost at the end." Teddie hopped with glee as they advanced to the final group of shadows between them and the last stairwell.

"Why do I already have a bad feeling about this…?" Yosuke said with a grimace. Rise assessed the enemy as they readied their weapons.

"There are five shadows, guys," she cautioned. "Be careful!"

"Heh," said Kanji, cracking his knuckles. "Well let's cut 'em down to size." He raised his shield high into the air before bringing it back down hard onto the ground. Each shadow was weakened by this, and three of the five fell dazed to the floor. "Alright!" Kanji raised his fist triumphantly.

"OK everyone!" said Teddie, pushing himself to the front. "The Tedmeister can take it from here! Bearrrsona!" The rest of the group looked in his direction as he lifted an arm into the air to summon his Persona.

"Ted…" Rise began warily. "Whatever you're up to…"

"Kamui… _Miracle!"_

The bear's colorful Persona appeared and lit up the battlefield with a magnificent glow. Immediately everyone, Persona users and shadows alike, were knocked flat onto the ground.

"Wh-what the…?" Kanji attempted to raise himself back up, to no avail. As each person struggled to move, the three shadows that were previously incapacitated awoke from their stupor, and prepared to counter with an attack of their own.

"_Dammit_… bear…"

* * *

After barely escaping the last battle with their lives, it was unanimously decided that Teddie be sent back to the studio to wait with the Fox, as he'd caused enough trouble for one day. Most of the group still had around half of their energy pool left, and they agreed to push on to the last floor. Before opening the door, Narukami looked deep within himself, and called on the strength they would need for this dungeon's final battle, quietly murmuring under his breath.

_"S.O.S…"_

Once they entered the chamber, Yu could feel that his request had been heard, and saw proof of it as assuring words appeared before him.

_**Don't give up! You can win!**_

_**~PuffDaddy :)**_

Narukami squinted at the single message he knew only he could see, and only hoped that it would be enough to aid them all.

* * *

**_A/N: I swear to god..._**

**_That "PuffDaddy" was seriously the name of a random person I received help from after sending an SOS in one of my playthroughs._**

**_And it had me laughing to the point that I had to put the game down._**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Mystery Meat X**

Narukami returned home, rather exhausted from his group's battle with the last enemy from Mitsuo's dungeon. Both his uncle and little cousin were waiting for him as he entered the house.

"Big Bro's home!" Nanako exclaimed, cheerful as ever. Dojima looked over at the doorway from his seat in the living room. "Hey there," he nodded slightly. "Have fun with your friends today?"

Yu cleared his throat as he answered. "Yeah. It was… exciting."

"Glad you had a good time," his uncle replied kindly. "We saved some food for you while you were out."

"Dad bought food from Junes!" Nanako informed her Big Bro happily. "It's in the fridge!"

"Oh. That reminds me," said Dojima, scratching his jaw. "I noticed a box was tipped over in the fridge last night. I assumed it was yours, so I put it back."

Narukami squinted a bit before recognition struck him. "Ah. Yes, it's for a… project." He'd almost forgotten about the mystery gift that he received just the other day. Which reminded him; he should probably remove the insect he'd caught. It would do no good to frighten one of his family members if they just happened to open the box and find a dead bug lying inside. So after grabbing his meal from the fridge, he located the box in the back corner. What he saw after opening it was not what he expected.

Yu _assumed _that he'd find a dead bug crumpled up inside the box, most likely situated around or under his gifted 'treat'. What he found instead was no insect at all, and a meatball that was nearly double the size that he'd remembered it being. He reached inside to lightly touch the chunky sphere, and was surprised to feel that it was in fact _warm _as well_. _He decided to poke it…

After hearing a loud bashing noise Dojima peered over at the kitchen, where his nephew was still situated in front of the open fridge. "Everything alright?" he asked. "Sounded like you hit your head or something."

There was no answer as Yu continued to stare at the gifted box, rubbing his stinging temple. In spite of recent events that he and his friends had experienced, he knew that he wasn't insane. The Object had moved; he was sure of it.

The remaining occupants of the house looked on bewilderedly as the silver-haired boy dashed upstairs without uttering a single word, clutching something tightly to his chest.

"Big Bro…?" Nanako wondered aloud as she gave her father a puzzled look. "He left his food…"

The grizzled detective sighed. "Guess he'll warm it up later. I've decided I'm through with questioning every odd thing he does…"

* * *

The next day found Narukami at Aiya after school. It had rained all day long and was just now starting to let up. His order was the same as on any other rainy day, a Mega Beef Bowl accompanied by a large glass of water. The one thing different than usual was the small white box situated near his bowl on the counter…

The door opened to let another customer inside. He spotted Narukami immediately and made his way over while finishing his topsicle. "_Senseeii!_" Teddie exclaimed, hopping onto the stool next to his self-proclaimed mentor. "Whatcha doing here, Sensei? Having dinner?"

Yu nodded and studied the bear. "You've been wandering around town with that suit on all day?" Teddie smiled and tossed the used topsicle over his shoulder. "My shift ended at Junes, so I've got nothing to do. And all of you guys were still in school, so…" He looked at the large bowl sitting in front of his sensei. "Oooh, that's a lot of food! Looks _beary _tastey. Can I have some?"

Yu watched the bubbly bear. Truly, he was a bottomless pit when it came to food. Then again, they'd all seen his x-rays, and there was indication of neither bones nor organs. Perhaps he was a black hole on the inside. If anyone could finish the Beef Bowl in one sitting, it would be Teddie. And yet…

"I should warn you," the stoic boy said. "No one's finished the entire thing before."

Teddie's countenance brightened with awe. "Oh, so it's a challenge? Ha! I can do it, Sensei!"

Narukami stared at the unfinished bowl, not seeming to have heard Teddie at all. "I've determined that this bowl is but one of many portals to the Meat Dimension," he said with an impassive expression.

"Hm? The Meat Dimension? What's that, Sensei!?"

Yu pressed on without answering: "It takes Understanding to accept the meat as a whole and Knowledge to set the proper pace. It takes Courage to attack the mountain of meat head-on, and Diligence to-"

**_Sluuurrrp~_**

Narukami stiffened as he watched Teddie down the entire meal in one gulp.

"Whewww, that was amazing, Sensei!" he said, looking serious. "Super tastey! I told you that you can count on me!" He seemed extremely proud of himself.

"H… how." Yu was actually at a loss for words.

Teddie perked up even more when he noticed the small box sitting on the bar as well. "Whoahh, more food? What's in it, Sensei? Is it a cake?"

Yu had no time to react as Teddie grabbed the box to empty the contents into his stomach without even looking inside.

"T-Ted…!"

The bear swallowed and soon after an audible thump was heard, as if a hefty rock had landed at the bottom of a deep well. A palpable silence hung in the air. The furry bear was unmoving in his seat, seemingly petrified. Had the Mystery Meat paralyzed him?

"S-S…Sensei…" Teddie moaned.

"Y-yeah…"

"That cake… It's _terrible!" _He shook his head back and forth, hands clasped above his head. "M-my virgin taste buds! They've been horribly wronged!"

Yu blinked. Well at least… At least he didn't have to pay for the food now that Teddie had eaten it all…

* * *

Soon after, Teddie left his suit behind to tag along with his sensei back to Yasogami High. When asked why, Narukami only replied that he was "strengthening bonds" with the other Investigation Team members. Teddie then asked how he knew that any of the others would still be there an hour after school.

"Because of the date," Yu replied plainly.

"The date?" Teddie wondered aloud. "Oh! You know exactly who will be there based on what day it is? Wow, Sensei! Can you see the future?"

Yu nodded slightly with a smile. "Something like that."

They entered the practice building and soon found who they were looking for in the arts and crafts room. Teddie spoke up once he recognized who was inside.

"Hey, it's Kanji! _Hiii, Kanj_-"

The excitable blonde was forced to stop waving as Narukami pulled him from the doorway with a hand over his mouth. Ignoring the boy's muffled protests, Yu tilted his head towards the room.

"He looks busy."

Teddie looked to where he had gestured. Sure enough, it looked like Kanji had his hands full at the moment. He seemed to be yelling at two other students.

"Nah, you got it all wrong, for god's sakes. You gotta go back over the original seam first. If you don't it's just gonna come undone, see?"

"Ah, y-yes," one of the students replied, flustered. Beside her, her friend discreetly tried to copy her movements. Kanji noticed and scolded her as well.

"_Tch, _don't go all fast and shit when you got no idea what you're doin'. Take it slow until you get the hang of it. You don't just rush through sewing on your first try."

"Oh, s-sorry! Sorry."

Kanji sighed and crossed his arms. "You gotta take the time to actually _learn _first, unless you want your creation to look like a hideous pile of crap. Are you _tryin'_ to be shit at this on purpose, or what?"

The two boys watched awkwardly from the doorway as the girls struggled to hold back their tears of failure. "K-Kanji-kun can be _beary _strict…" said Teddie, feeling sorry for the girls. Yu nodded in agreement.

The tall boy observed the students' work with a stern expression, apparently oblivious to how nervous the two of them had become because of his presence. After a short while his expression softened, and a faint smile crept onto his face.

"Huh. You're not half bad, both of you. Looks like you may have what it takes. You learn fast, so maybe you'll be experts at sewing in no time.

"Oh!"

"Really?!"

Kanji nodded his affirmation with a thumbs-up. "Hell yeah. Just don't give up and you've got it made."

The girls exclaimed their joy and relief loudly, jumping up to give Kanji a grateful hug.

"H-hey! What're you…?" Both their eyes flowed with tears of joy as they ignored his uncomfortable protests.

"Stop, dammit!"

Narukami smiled as he made his way from the room. It seemed Kanji had branched out to meet even more people. He felt he understood the coarse boy better after seeing this softer side of him…

Teddie bounced on his feet, following Yu to another floor. "So, Kanji's a sensei too now, huh? _Beary _cute!"

"Yes, it is," the stoic boy agreed. After ascending the stairs, Yu stopped abruptly in front of one of the Home Ec rooms. An aroma that he couldn't pin down was wafting from it, so he decided to crack the door open to see what was going on inside. Teddie pushed himself in front, sniffing the air before looking inside.

"Oh! It's Nao-chan and Rise-chan!" he whispered much too loudly. "Heyyy, Sensei do you think those two could be 'scoring' again-"

Narukami reached around and pinched the rowdy bear's nose to silence him. They seemed to have caught the two in the middle of a conversation.

"Plus, Yukiko-senpai said that she and Chie-senpai were picking up stuff to practice today too, so there's no way I'm falling behind."

"Well in any case, I see that you've finally finished," said Naoto in a rather annoyed tone. "But why did you require me to observe the entire time? I did have some other work to attend to."

"Becauuse," Rise huffed and crossed her arms. "I needed emotional support! None of the others have a palette mature enough for my masterpieces. I mean, It's not like I doubted my skills or anything, but…"

"I see…" the detective replied. "What… type of soup was this supposed to be again?" She wrinkled her nose at the steamy red concoction as she placed a hand on her hip. Rise brought a hand to her chin as she pondered.

"Well… it's an original recipe. There's vegetables, tomato… I threw in some meat as well. Oh, and some special sauce. Created by _moi, _of course," the idol grinned proudly, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Is that so…"

Rise didn't seem satisfied with such a reply. "Geeze, Naoto! You could at least _pretend _to sound interested! I worked hard on it, you know." She offered her best pout.

"Ah… right. Sorry. It looks uh… you did well, Rise-san." Naoto fidgeted with the hat atop her head.

The girl snorted at the formality before smiling with a nod. "Thank you."

A minute or so passed, both of them staring apprehensively at the large pot of food…

"Naoto." Rise glanced at the Detective Prince expectantly before eyeing the soup again.

"Hm?"

"So taste it already."

_Silence…_

_…_

"…W-why can't _you _taste it?"

"_Naotoo~!_ Please?"

"It _is _your food after all, is it not?"

"That's beside the point!" the starlet protested. "Plus, I need an _unbiased _opinion. I mean it's _my _food, so I know it tastes good, but…"

"Then we can leave it at that, shall we?" Yosuke-senpai had warned Naoto about this a while back. She recalled his tormented expression when he made her swear to never eat any of the other girls' cooking. Ever. Also a bit about him not wanting the memories of her youth to be tainted in the same way that his had, or something like that. She was pulled from her ominous thoughts when Rise grabbed ahold of her arm.

"C'mon Naoto, pleeease? At least just one sip! It would really mean a lot to me." She leaned on the detective's shoulder, using her impeccable acting skills to look almost heartbroken.

Outside the door, Teddie was truly moved by such an emotional display. He placed a hand over his chest and attempted to walk inside, fully prepared to take the fall for Naoto. Narukami held him back however, shaking his head solemnly. "Some sacrifices…" he said enigmatically, "**are never meant to be made**."

Back inside the classroom, Naoto sighed heavily with Rise still tugging on her arm. She wouldn't want to be the cause of Rise crying, whether they were crocodile tears or not. So she swallowed the ominous feeling she'd felt for some time now and answered with a resigned smile. "Very well, if it truly means this much to you."

The idol squealed in delight as she looked for a spoon. "Thank you, Naoto. You'll love it, I promise!"

Yu and Teddie watched outside in horrified anticipation as Rise scooped a good amount of soup onto the spoon and slowly brought it to the shorter girl's mouth. Naoto seemed to accept the food pretty well, appearing to approve of the flavor before swallowing.

"It's… quite good." She chuckled warmly. "I'm impressed, Rise."

"See? Told you it would be good!" Rise beamed, feeling somewhat relieved.

Naoto cleared her throat. "Yes, well… I'll be sure to take Hanamura-senpai's future warnings with a grain of salt. Apparently he was…" She rubbed her eyes. "He was ah, overreacting."

The idol rolled her eyes at the mention of Yosuke's ridiculous exaggerations. "For sure… wait Naoto, are you alright? You look a little flushed…"

Naoto attempted to loosen her collar as she spoke. "R-Rise… that sauce you mentioned. What was," she coughed loudly. "What did you put…?"

"My secret sauce?" she asked, surprised. "Well, of course I couldn't just make the food plain without any additional flavor. I added some things for a little extra kick." She counted on her fingertips. "Lots of peppers, of course. Green, yellow, red stick, jalapeño… oh! Banana peppers, too. I also found a few foreign spices I wasn't too familiar with name-wise, but they just add even more flavor, I'm sure."

"You… t-too much. H-hot…" The Detective Prince wheezed.

"Hm? Naoto?" She turned after hearing a strange sound. "Ah!" Rise kneeled over Naoto's unconscious form, her face as red as a tomato.

"N… n-_nurse!_"

Yu grabbed ahold of Teddie's shoulder. "Run."

"S-Sensei?" The boy's eyes widened in confusion.

"We should leave them be," was all he got for a reply as they stormed back down the steps. Narukami understood his friend's pain, and felt closer to both of them as a result. But when it came down to the cooking skills of certain members of the Investigation Team…

It seemed that some lessons were meant to be learned the hard way.

* * *

After following Narukami around some more, Teddie found himself back at Junes.

"What're we doing back here, Sensei? Are we getting a gift for Nanako-chan?"

Yu shook his head and reminded the bear about what his kohai had said. "According to Rise, Chie and Yukiko should both be here in the produce section."

"Oh-ho!" Teddie replied, understanding. "So we're still 'strengthening bonds' then." Yu nodded in affirmation. Before long, they located the pair in front of one of the many produce isles.

"Wonnnderful!" the bear shouted. "Chie-chan and Yuki-chan shopping for food! I still haven't gotten the chance to eat one of their proper meals…" he said, blushing with excitement.

Narukami put a hand on Teddie's head to get him to duck behind the isle they were currently watching from. "Some things…" he stated seriously, "were never meant to be tried by mortal men."

Teddie's big blue eyes blinked questioningly at his sensei. Someone walked up to them right before he could inquire of his master's tremendous wisdom. "Ted? Bro? What're you guys doing here?" They turned to see Yosuke in his Junes apron, carrying a large crate in his arms.

"Shhh!" Teddie hushed loudly with a finger to his lips. "You'll blow our cover, Yosuke! Don't ruin it!"

"Ruin what?" He shifted the box's weight to get a better view at what they were looking at. "Oh. So those two are at it again, huh? Geeze, I feel sorry for whatever poor bastard has to taste-test their crap-" The brunette was suddenly pulled behind the isle by the other two boys, causing the box he'd been holding to fall to the ground with a loud crash.

"H-hey—the hell did you do that for?! If anything's broken in that, it comes outta _my _salary, y'know!"

_"__Shhh!" _the other two shushed him.

Yosuke grunted. "What're you even snooping on them for, anyways?"

"We're strengthening our bonds with the other teammates!" Teddie supplied matter-of-factly.

Yu nodded. "That's right."

The Prince of Junes blinked. "Strengthen… _what? _By _spying _on them? Dude, that's just creepy as all hell—"

"We wouldn't expect you to understand, Yosuke," said Teddie with his eyes closed in a dismissive manner. "It takes a true master of Personae to forge Links with others through social activity. Right, Sensei?"

Narukami dipped his head. "Exactly." The smaller boy seemed to glow with his sensei's approval.

"Gimmie a break…" Yosuke retorted - then immediately joined them on their watch. "Hold on. What're they even buying from this section?" He eyed their basket. Shrimp, vegetables, white rice… god please no. Were they making curry again?! Mustard, horseradish… cocoa, soy sauce… raisins? Yogurt? The hell?

"What the hell are they even trying to make with that stuff?" Yosuke crouched lower behind the isle when he thought one of them glanced their way. "This is only gonna end in disaster, dammit…" Come to think of it, why was he even spying with the others in the first place? And why was he feeling so invested all of a sudden? He still had work to do, for god's sakes. His thoughts were interrupted by the girls' voices.

"So, that's it for this list," Chie was saying as she placed one last thing into their basket. "Anything else we need to get before we go?"

"Hmm…" Yukiko pondered aloud. "We should probably get some more types of meat. Or maybe some tofu, at the very least."

"Oooh, meat sounds good. While we're at it, we might as well grab some beef steak from the food court on our way out."

Yukiko seemed vexed. "But Chie, we just ate on the way over here…"

"I know," the shorter girl defended. "All this shopping's made me hungry, is all."

Yukiko shook her head as they made their way to the refrigerated isles, both oblivious to the small group that was tailing them. Once they came to a stop, the boys situated themselves in the next isle over, discreetly listening from their new hiding spot.

"Do you think that the others would even try our food again after what's happened, well… before?" asked Yukiko as she placed something in the basket.

"_Nope_," Yosuke whispered bitterly from their eavesdropping point.

Chie scratched at her head nervously. "Well… sure, maybe. I mean if we tell them we've been practicing, I'm sure they'd believe us."

"_Deceit_," said Yu, possibly feeling betrayed; it was difficult to tell.

"Hm," Yukiko agreed with a nod. "We could surprise everyone! Like make everyone lunch the next time we meet up."

"Yeah! That'd be great."

"Ha! There is no chance in _hell_— oww!" Yosuke cried after being elbowed in the shoulder, causing the box in his arms to fly right out of the isle.

"_Teddie, _I swear to _god—_"

_"__Shhhh! _You were being too loud, Yosuke!"

"Like knocking that crate out of my hand was any quieter! They've gotta be onto us now."

Narukami placed a hand over both of their mouths to silence them. "Shush. You'll both blow our cover. They're still talking." The two boys ceased their bickering for the moment to listen.

"If that fails, there's still always Teddie," Yukiko was saying. The bear in question perked up at the mention of his name.

"Pshh, yeah he'll eat anything. Guess we can always count on him," Chie said jokingly.

Teddie appeared to be touched by their apparent consideration, obviously inexperienced with any form of sarcasm. He began to hum to himself in delight. The girls seemed to be finished with their search as well, since their footsteps could be heard moving away.

"But you've been taking lessons from the Inn's chef, right? I'm sure in no time— uhh…" Chie paused. "Do you hear that?"

Yukiko looked up from their shopping list. "Hear what?"

Chie shrugged. "It's like, I don't know… singing? I'm not sure."

The Heiress strained her ears to listen. "Oh…" Come to think of it, it _did _sound like something was making a… cooing noise. "It sounds close by," she noted.

"Dammit Teddie, _shut up!_" Meanwhile a few feet away, Hanamura was trying his best (without using strangulation) to silence the bubbly nuisance before he could lead the girls straight to them with his incessant humming.

_"__Mmmhhnnf!"_ Teddie protested as Yosuke put an arm hold around his neck and mouth. Yu's eyes widened when he realized that the girls were now heading their way. "Ok, I _definitely _heard that," said Chie, starting to round the corner. Could be a kid that lost his mom or something. She wasn't able to get far before she tripped on something in her way.

_"__Ack! _W-hat the-?" The boys heard her exclaim. "Where did this come from?"

"Crap! The crate," Yosuke panicked and let Teddie go; about to rush to his box before its contents could be harmed any further. Yu grabbed him by the arm to stop him. "Are you insane?" he warned.

"Dude, if anything else is smashed in that crate, I'll be broke for two weeks!"

Narukami shook his head. He felt that he understood the girls' drive to be better cooks, but staying here any longer would only cause everything to backfire in their faces. "It's either it… or you."

Teddie nodded fervently as he started to scamper in the opposite direction. "Sensei's right!"

Yu nodded. "We should leave it be."

"What? Are you serious?" Yosuke sighed dejectedly. "Dammit… let's just go then." He knew he should have just minded his own business…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Aeon + Empress: Power fusion? Making memories!**

Yu enjoyed the cool breeze that accompanied him on his ride to the shopping district. Once he found a spot to park his scooter at the local gas station, he began to mentally go over the plans for today. After topping off his scooter, he would head over to a certain room that exists between the realities. He had meant to take Marie out again for a while now, and was certain she must be growing increasingly tired of the room's cramped space. He'd also accumulated a fair amount of personas recently, so he planned to speak with one of the room's other occupants as well. Speaking of which…

A familiar Moel attendant approached Yu as he was bringing out his cellphone. They looked over at the grey moped set up near the pump before greeting him with a cheerful smile.

"Hey there! Fancy seeing you again. You filling her up today?"

Narukami nodded politely in affirmation before returning his attention to the screen. "So the first requiring multiple steps is… Neko-Shogun…" he mumbled. The attendant glanced over at the odd teenager muttering to his phone before turning back to the scooter and striking up conversation; after a while the silence would begin to become palpable. "That rain was pretty relentless yesterday, don't you think?"

"Yes," said Yu, not moving his gaze.

Huh. That was rather succinct. The gas attendant grinned. "The silent type, huh? Or maybe just not much to say?"

Narukami shrugged ever so slightly. "I'm sure there will be plenty for us to talk about soon enough."

The employee was caught off guard for a split second before recovering quickly enough to finish attending the scooter with a nervous laugh. "Hah… not exactly sure what you mean by that, but sure! There's always gonna be something to talk about in a town like this. Gossip, rumors, news stories- am I right?"

"Sure thing." Narukami paid for the gas and went on his way, leaving the attendant with a feeling that couldn't exactly be placed. This kid was peculiar, indeed.

* * *

Marie looked up from her seat as someone entered the Velvet Room, interrupting the usual monotony of silence that permeated its space. It turned out to just be Silver McBowl-Top. But who else would it be, right? He was the only one that ever visited this place, anyway. The Nose threw him the usual welcome that Yu acknowledged with a nod. Then he looked her way, so she sat up straighter as he approached her and cut him off before he could speak.

"Hey." She greeted almost dismissively. "You going out somewhere today? Any longer sitting in here and I'll go completely stare crazy."

"Dear girl," Margaret chimed in with a short laugh. "I do believe that the term is in fact, _stir _crazy."

Marie glared over at her supposed mentor. "Shut up. Nobody asked you."

Margaret casually shook her head and returned her attention to the large volume that never seemed leave her lap. What would they do with this brash girl…?

"Yes," Yu said in answer to Marie's inquiry. "Was there anywhere in particular that you wanted to go?"

"Yeah!" She replied excitedly, preparing her things to leave the room. "Well no, not in particular I guess. I don't know. Just somewhere new. Now c'mon let's go! Take me out." Narukami couldn't help but smile at the girl's impatience as she made her way to the exit.

"I'll be right out," he called after her. "Give me a sec." He turned to the silent woman on Igor's left, who looked up in surprise upon realizing that his attention was directed towards her.

"Ah. Forgive me," Margaret apologized as she closed her Compendium. "Is there something I can assist you with, honored guest?" She glanced upward shortly in thought and pondered aloud. "Of course," she said. "Nothing takes place in this room without purpose. In fact…" Her golden eyes made their way back over to the boy in front of her. "Yes indeed. So far, you have grown tremendously on your current journey. I believe you are ready for a challenge— a request on my behalf, if you will." She offered an elegant smile. "Tell me, would you be willing to take on such a task?"

Yu dipped his head, answering without hesitation. "Of course."

"Very well," she began. "Then if you please, I require of you specific feats of Persona fusion. To start, please bring to me an Ippon-Datara that possesses the skill 'Sukukaja'. After you have accomplished this fusion, I will point you toward the next; each proving to be more challenging than the la—"

"Here."

Margaret was pulled out of her monologue as Narukami brought a tarot card forth to show to her. He looked back at her expectantly as the card floated just above his hand.

"Oh." She waved her hand and the card was transported to the now open tome situated in her lap. Sure enough, the Persona's attributes were appropriate. "You are proving to be quite resourceful. Well done." She snapped her fingers once, and the card was gone. "Now. On to the next task. I would like you to develop a Matador with the ability to cast 'Mahama'. Mhm…" She smiled to herself. "Quite fascinating, considering the Arcana from which the Matador originates. Once this is completed, return to me so that—"

"Here."

Margaret received another card that, sure enough, contained the requested Persona. "How… interesting. I believe I was correct in entrusting you with this responsibility. Hmmm…" She cleared her throat and continued. "When you are ready, present to me a Gdon that is able to use—"

"Rampage," Narukami finished and handed her another card. "Right here."

"I… Goodness. I must admit. Even _I_ was unable to predict such initiative."

Yu offered a smile as he prepared to leave. "I'll be back later with the Neko-Shogun."

"Of course," Margaret replied knowingly with a smile of her own. There was a brief silence once the door to the Velvet Room closed, both remaining occupants staring after their guest's retreated form.

"…Wait," Margaret turned to Igor, who had been silent for the majority of Narukami's visit. "How did…?"

* * *

When Yu made it back outside, Marie ran up to him and began pulling him towards the northern part of the shopping district.

"There you are, _finally._" She huffed. "I went to get some of those _fsteak skyewwer_ things at that place over there. But the woman said that I had to give her Munny or whatever first, so I couldn't get any."

Yu blinked as he was dragged in front of the food stall. "You could have just waited. I was coming out of the Room right after you." He reached into a pocket to grab his wallet.

Marie rolled her eyes. "You were taking way too long talking to the Nose, or whatever you were doing. Then," she continued, "some little person walked by with food too, so I told _them_ to give me some Munny instead. But they just ran away." She crossed her arms. Narukami paused after paying for the snack.

"'Little person'? You… told a random kid to give you money?"

She shrugged indifferently. "Well I _tried. _But like I said, he just ran away like he was scared or something." Honestly, she couldn't tell what his problem was.

Yu squinted at his friend, trying to imagine her stopping a child in their tracks as they meandered down the sidewalk and ordering them to give her all of their cash. He sighed heavily as he received their order and handed a steak skewer to Marie. She took the food as coolly as possible, trying and failing to hide her obvious excitement at being able to eat more of this world's strange cuisine.

"I want to go somewhere high-up today," she said between bites. "Like… a mountain. Take me to that one over there." She pointed to some scenery far off into the distance. This would already prove to be an eventful day.

* * *

After once again explaining to Marie why they wouldn't be able to walk to the top of the nearest mountain within the day, Narukami guided her through a well-known trail that led to the top of a hill with an excellent view of the countryside.

"Okay so," Marie was saying, "I also can't walk up to someone I don't know and tell them to give me Munny because if a… 'Cop' sees me do it, they can take me away for robbery?"

The taller boy rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah… pretty much."

"How stupid," she dismissed. "What do people even need Munny for in the first place? It's just paper. You can't do anything with it but write on it."

Yu smiled. "Like how you write poems?"

"Eh—what?! S-shut up! No, that's not what I meant-"

"If you want money to buy things, then you should just try getting a job."

Yu's statement caught her off-guard before she could provide a retort. "A… job?"

"Yeah. You have set tasks that you carry out, and whoever hired you pays you for your work."

"Huh." Marie brought a hand to her chin. "Well, they did give me fixed responsibilities in that Room… Blondie calls it an 'apprenticeship' though." She looked up at him. "Doesn't that count as a 'job'?"

"Well… sort of."

"But they don't even pay me for that." Her eyes narrowed. "That long nose's been cheating me this whole time. I'm gonna make them start paying me or else… I don't know. I'll find a better job." She'd leave the Velvet Room if he had to; it's not like she needed them anyway.

Yu cleared his throat. "Maybe that's not the best—"

"What about you?" she interrupted. "Where's your job?"

"A… lot of places." He replied with an open air. In truth, he worked a number of odd jobs throughout town. "Most of the money I get is from fighting shadows though."

Marie wasn't completely sure what he meant by all of that, but it didn't matter as they'd reached the top of the hill. Narukami had been true to his word. The view from up here was truly breathtaking. She sighed contently as a cool breeze wafted past them. She was pulled from this small moment as she heard Yu clear his throat somewhere behind her.

**_"_****_The fallen angel… is chained down."_**

Marie froze.

_**"Her wings torn off, eroded by prejudice,  
her last breaths full of black despair...  
Do you know her name?"**_

She spun around in a split second and, to her surprise, saw Narukami reading from a familiar piece of paper.

**_"_****_Will she eventually return to nothing,  
forced into the realm of oblivion...?"_**

"Hey, where did you…? Give me that!" She rushed forward and tried snatching the poem out of his hand, but he quickly sidestepped her and held the paper higher above him as he read aloud.

**_"_****_-NNNNo!"_** He continued dramatically.

**_"_****_Her requiem will become a roar  
And tear away the mask of hypocrisy!"_**

"How did you even get that at all?!" She asked as she reached for the small parchment being held just out of reach. _"UUGGHH- giveitbackstupiddummyIhateyou-!"_

**_"_****_Do you know her name,  
she who will strike down the cowards and tear down the lies?"_**

"Shuttup Shuttup! _Dumbassblockheadinfidel!_ _I'llneverforgiveyougiveitback!"_

**_"_****_That's right,"_** he pressed on for the grand finale. **_"Her name… is-_**_Oof!"_

Narukami looked up from the ground where he'd fallen after a swift kick to the abdomen rendered him powerless. **_"Her… n-name…"_**

Marie reached down and grabbed her poem from his trembling fingertips, quickly stowing it in the safety of her bag. Before she could begin scolding him, loud footsteps could be heard running up the hill.

"And _lllo_' and behold," someone said as they made it to the top. "King o' the Hill, Daisuke- what'd I say! Don't worry though. It's not like I already told you I'd win or anything." The boy grinned triumphantly.

"S-shut up," his buddy came up next to him, seemingly winded. "You weigh less, of course you'd be quicker. So basically, you cheated."

"What? Man don't be a sore loser. You should be happy I beat your ass- it shows you're off your game, heh."

"_Tsk, _whatever. Rematch! But this time _down_ the hill. The weight from my superior muscles would carry me down faster." The taller boy psyched himself up.

"Uhh… then by your standards, wouldn't that make _you _the cheater this time?"

Daisuke rolled his shoulders. "Nah, it ain't cheating Kou— it's just biology."

"Ha! You hypocrite."

Someone huffed a few feet away, and they both finally realized that they were in the company of others. "Oh! Sorry for our loudness," Kou apologized politely. "Guess we can get pretty carried away." He looked past the rather unresponsive girl in front of him and saw someone he thought he recognized on the ground.

"Yo! Is that you, Narukami? Fancy seeing you here, dude."

A grunt of some kind could be heard from Yu's facedown position in the grass. Daisuke took in the strange scene with suspicion. "Did ah… did we just walk in on a robbery or some weird shit?"

Kou laughed nervously. "Honestly, I'm not really sure _what _to think… Looks like… he _could _have made the wrong move or something, if you know what I mean. Ouch."

"Robbery?" Marie repeated. "N-no that's not it, you've got it all wrong! I didn't take any of his Munny, so you'd better not go telling one of those 'Cops' anything!"

"Whoa… cops? Nah, Daisuke was just joking. He's stupid like that."

"Hey—!"

"Then again…" Kou continued, "We did choose the perfect time to run into something so bizarre. Good on you, Narukami!" he exclaimed with a thumbs-up. "I won't even ask."

Daisuke looked down at their friend's motionless body and scratched his head. "Yeah, talk about having his back." Poor guy was probably too embarrassed to move. It was actually pretty funny. "I'll help him up."

Kou stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. "He… might have deserved whatever caused this. Am I right?" he asked, winking at Marie and trying not to burst out laughing.

Marie crossed her arms with a shrug. "He might have."

"What?" Daisuke protested. "Nah man, bros before ho—_oww!_"

"Yep. Thought so." Kou said while covering his friend's mouth. Marie watched the taller one hold his elbowed ribs.

"You're both really weird."

Yu could sense his friends' amusement as they joked amongst themselves. He didn't plan for this day to escalate in the way that it had, but at least he felt he'd made some progress…

* * *

**_Her name is…_**

**_What is it?_**


End file.
